So the principal is blaming the Kindergarten teachers for the kids not passing the 5th grade state assessment tests! Because we didn't give them a good enough start in school! Even though our building had the highest test scores that we have ever had before that the state is even recognizing us, but it isn't good enough for our principal. He put all of the staff down because we didn't get 100% of the kids to pass the test. The staff moral is about to hit bottom and he doesn't even care about that! Just how come 100% didn't pass the test. You must not be working hard enough and putting enough time and effort in. Sorry but I am already working over 10 hours a day! How much more time do we have to put in? Grrrr...... What can I even say to him? We should be celebrating our test scores!!
:unsure: Really not sure how ANYone can expect 100% of kids to pass the SOLs; even if they know the content, some kids are not good test-takers or may have a bad day, etc.
Not true at all. It all depends on what the test is designed to do. Our state test pass rates are not normed on a bell curve. They are minimum competency. The cut numbers may change, but theoretically, all students can pass the test if they know and understand the material. They won't all get perfect scores, but there are gradients of passing. We have several teachers at our HS that get perfect PASS rates every year. The state even came in to observe the teachers because their pass rates were consistent over multiple years. They were concerned there was cheating, but what they found was there was no cheating involved. The teachers were just darn good at teaching.
That's insane. Kids move in and out of districts. Kids have problems outside of school that sometimes have pretty big influence on test scores. What was the percentage, if you don't mind my asking?
So, I'm guessing that your school is one of the rare schools who have no children performing below level and you have no children transferring in and out at all during the year. :wub:
I am sorry you are dealing with this. The pressure from these tests is taking a toll on our staff as well. There has been so much tension from finger pointing and complaining. Things finally blew up this week, and it wasn't pretty. I know and believe tests and data are important, but when things are this out of control it needs to stop. This pressure is not good for our physical or mental well being. It is not healthy for these young children to have all of this pressure to pass or be forced to repeat a grade. I really believe we need to find a happy medium to all of this testing, so we can focus on learning and developing a love of learning in our students. What is that happy medium? I am not sure, but at this point (at least in my state and district) I don't think we have found it yet.
Has he ever actually taught in an elementary classroom? This sounds completely unreasonable, especially since the passing score is a relative scores (as opposed to a set score) and is often altered from year to year.
I hate state testing so much, especially with the little guys. It puts an unfair level of pressure on the kids (and the teachers). The idea of blaming kindergarten teachers for 5th grade shortcomings is asinine. Even if we go under the assumption that the kindergarten teachers didn't do their jobs (which I'm not doing, don't worry!), they still had five full school years to get things straightened out. And if they had cruddy instruction in kindergarten, why didn't that affect their third and fourth grade test results?
Our state MMR was over 90%. Which makes us a reward school in the state! You would think we would be celebrating, but nope. This is my principal's first year. Found out from his old district he was hired as an asst. principal to handle discipline only. He told us he was hired as an intervention specialists. Hmmm..... Think his recall of his placements is a little sketchy! He is young. Has maybe taught 10 years or less! I am thinking less!!!!!
Thanks for advice and support! I felt like I was losing my mind with his most recent comments! Plus I have to have 100% of my kids meet state standards in K by the end of the year! Even those with the DCD label (those are students with IQ's lower than 70). I have two kids with IQ's in the 50's. So my work is cut out for me this year! Feel like I am climbing Mt. Everest and there is no summit to reach!
Two kids with IQs in the 50's, and they are expecting you to have them both meet state standards by the end of the year? Have they mistaken you for a biblical figure or something?
I think expecting 100% to pass is not realistic, though very hopeful. Putting the blame on K teachers is not right.
Is your P insane? Does s/he not stop to think of how much may have happened between the time the K students left you all and went on to 5th?! I would like to know what the P has done to ensure the K's success. Did s/he pay for an afterschool tutoring program for the children? Offer summer school for EVERYONE and not just the children who are failing? Host conferences to teach the parents how to help the children? How about holding a study group in their office once a week for the lowest achieving students? Offer incentives for the students achievement? Use some of the fundraising/grant money earned by the school to pay for 1, maybe even 2 additional teachers to decrease class sizes so the students can receive more individualized instruction? How about training para's in how to best work with these students and having one come in for an hour or two a day to work with a small group of struggling students? (And have the para report back the specific skills they worked with the students on and weaknesses/strengths they've noted and reported to the teacher to work on?) :soapbox: Sorry, this just really ticks me off. Don't blame yourself or allow your P to make you and your team feel bad. Their butt is probably just in the hot seat and s/he is taking it out on you
